Bicycle



{No.Model.)

CQRFQRD.

BIGYGLE.

Patented May 1, 1894. /fl

NITED STATES ATENT FFICE"4 CHARLES EDWARD' FORD, OF` LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS.

BICYCLE.

.. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 519,252, dated May 1,-1894.

Application filed May 3,1892. `Serial No. l21,711. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, CHARLESEDWARD FORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leavenworth, in the county of Leavenworth and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bicycles; and I do declare the followingto be a full, clear, and

' exact description of lthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap- 'pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in velocipedes, and more particularly tothat class termed safety bicycles.

It hasfor its object the novel construction of a driving mechanism which can be so adjusted and arranged as to allow the propelling force'to 4be applied in the manner best adapted to speeding; or to driving the machine over rough roads and up hills in the manner best 'adapted to the conservation of the strength of the rider.

Primarily it consistsin replacing the gears driving chain can 'be placed in engagement with the smaller periphery of the gear on theA crank-spindle and thelarger gear on the driving wheel. 4

It also consists in the construction of the detail mechanism and adjunctive parts necessary to the application of the gears and connections to the purpose, and it further consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts such as will be hereinafter more fully described, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings. j

In the accompanying drawings in which similar letters of reference` designate corresponding parts, Figure l isa side elevation detail view, showing a side elevation of the wheel gear and a portion of its supporting frame, the gear,` being in a position to allow the adjustment of the driving chain. Fig. 4

is a detail view showing a transverse section of one half of one of the gears. Fig. 5 isa plan view of the wrench used in adjusting the gears.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the supporting frame, only so much of it being shown asis necessary to illustrate the invenf tion.

A designates the rear fork of the frame between the lower ends of which the wheel B is journaled.`

C C designate respectively two sleeves, each of which is journaled in one of the lower ends of the fork A and has projecting from its outer end the annularliange c, the .inner face of which rests against the fork. The flange of the sleeve C has its outer periphery notched. #A spring catch c" is secured 'to the frame in any suitable manner and is adapted to engage with the notched iiange c to hold the sleeve in any position to which it may be turned.

D designates a spindle which has its ends eccentrically mounted in sleeves C C", and which has secured on one end the step d, and on the other end the nut d', the step and nut serving to secure the spindle and the dilferent parts carried by it, in place. `Each end of the spindle as itpasses through its sleeve is attened as at d2 and registers witha proi jection d3 of the inner periphery of the sleeve so that the sleeves and the spindle cannot rof tate with relation to each other.

E and E designate plates or washers carried on each end of `the spindle respectively, inside of the ends of the fork and serve to keep the wheel in its proper position on the spindle.` They are of the same diameter as IOO the sleeves C C and are similarly mounted, f

with relationto eccentricity, on the spindle,

`jand are so secured as to have their peripheries parallel with the peripheries of the sleeves. The plate E is secured in place by continuing theiattened portion d2 of the end of the spindle inwardly and providing its inner periphery with a depressed portion to register with the flat portion. The plate E is secured in place by attaching it to the sleeve C on its side, by a lug e, so that it will turn with the said sleeve.

B designates the rear or driving wheel, having a hub f journaled on the spindle D, being provided with ball bearings f and the whole being secured and adjusted on the spindle by the screw caps ffz.. One end f3 of the hub has projecting from its periphery, the annular flange f4, the relative proportion and adjustment of the several parts being such that the'wheel will be carried in the center of the frame.

I-I designates a gear wheel having two toothed peripheries h and h', the diameter of the inner of which is greater than the outer. It is mounted on the outer end of the hub and is secured in place bythe bolts h2h2 passing through its web and the annular fiangef4.

L designates the support, which together with the connecting rods Z, Z, carries the spindle to which the pedal cranks Z are attached. This spindle carries agear wheel Z2,somewhat similar in construction to that carried by the driving wheel, but of much greater diameter. The gear wheel Z2 has the toothed peripheries Z3 and Z4. of unequal diameter, and it is placed so that the side having the larger periphery will be on the same side of the machine as the smaller periphery of the gear wheel, H. The relative size of the toothed peripheries of the gear wheels is such that the chain M can be carried by either the smaller periphery of one of the gears and the larger periphery of the other or vice versa.

' In the present instance the driving chain is shown as being carried on the smaller periphery of the gear on the driving wheel and the larger periphery of the gear on the driving spindle, which arrangement adapts the machine to speeding. If it should be desired to change the driving chain to the larger periphery of the gear on the driving wheel and the smaller gear of the driving spindle, to adapt the machine to rough Work, it can be very quickly done in the following manner: The spring catch c is disengaged from the sleeve C and by means of the wrench P the sleeve is rotated, which through its eccentric and connections, will turn the spindle of the driving wheel so as to bring the two gears nearer together and allow the transfer of the driving chain, after this has been done, the spindle is turned back and the chain firmly secured against disengagement, the spring catch being released to hold the sleeve C against rotation.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claim is- 1. In a velocipede, a driving mechanism consisting of two gear wheels mounted respectively on the crank spindle and the hub of the driving wheel, each of said wheels having two toothed peripheries of unequal diameter arranged on the same side of the driving wheel to permit the driving chain to be shifted from one periphery to the other of the gear wheels without removing the driving wheel from its bearings, an eccentric mounted to normally hold one of said gear wheels in a position to keep the drive chain taut and when moved in the opposite direction to adjust both peripheries of one wheel toward the other gear wheel to permit the drive chain to be shifted from one set of peripheries to the other, and the drive chain, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a velocipede, the combination of the 4supporting frame, the driving wheel, the

sleeves rotatably mounted in the said frame, the driving wheel spindle eccentrically mounted in said sleeves with its eccentricity such as normally to hold one of two gear wheels in a position to keep the drive chain taut and when shifted in the opposite direction to ad just one gear wheel toward the other gear Wheel to permit the drive chain to be trans ferred from one set of gear-wheels to the other, the crank spindle, the gear wheels mounted on said crank spindle and the hub of said wheel respectively, each of said gears having two toothed peripheries and both being on the same side of the driving wheel, whereby the driving chain can be shifted from one to the other periphery of the gear wheels without removing the driving wheel from its bearings, and the driving chain, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a velocipede, the combination of the supporting frame, the driving wheel, sleeves rotatably mounted in said frame, one of the sleeves having a notched flange, the driving wheel spindle eccentrically mounted in said sleeves, withits eccentricity such as normally to hold one ot' two gear wheels in a position to keep the drive chain taut and when shifted in the opposite direction to adjust one wheel `toward the other gear wheel to permit the drive chain to be transferred from one set of gear Wheels to the other, holding means adapted to engage said notched flange to hold the Isleeves against rotation, the crank spindle, the gear wheels mounted on said crank spindle and the hub of said wheel, respectively, each of said gears having two toothed pe` ripheries and both being on the same side of the driving wheel to permit thedriving chain to be shifted from one to the other periphery of the gear Wheels without removing the driving wheel from its bearings, and the driving chain, substantially as and for the purposes described. v

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES EDWARD FORD; Witnesses:

W. S. ALBRIGHT, E. WIELFEKUBLER.

IIO 

